Page 12 - STAT July 2024 for Magzter

coverstory

help identify patterns, foresee potential
issues and guide decision-making to avoid
unnecessary risks.
"To prepare for this, UPS has prioritised
digitisation across all divisions, not just
healthcare. We've recently hired a new Chief
Intelligence Officer to spearhead our digital
strategy, ensuring we are ready for the
advancements in data and technology."
MSC Air Cargo is exploring ways to
improve and enhance services with AI,
following a rigorous change manage-
ment process to ensure compliance and
uphold standards. Roehl adds: "Currently,
we are investigating several AI use cases
with significant potential, particularly in
the pre-handling part of the customer
journey. AI can streamline processes and
support our staff as a virtual assistant in
decision-making. It can also enhance
awareness and compliance with special advancements and provide cutting-edge
handling requirements for pharmaceutical solutions to our customers."
and other special cargo shipments. Artificial intelligence is open to a multitude
“While AI is still in its early stages, its of applications, says Kate of CEVA Logistics.
benefits extend to several areas such as "Different data points need to be
predictive analytics, which can foresee po- connected - like where you connect the
tential delays or disruptions and suggest weather with the flight plan. Now we have
alternative routes to ensure timely delivery. computers working on all that, working
AI can also assist in maintaining and moni- out all the schedules...for example, it may
toring optimal temperature conditions by be good to delay a flight..
tracking real-time data and alerting staff to "Going further up into the supply
make necessary corrections. There have been chain, the production aspect. If we do
"Overall, AI holds great potential to more and more AI and see you have a
increase efficiency, reliability and safety closer collaborations temperature excursion, you know a cer-
in the transportation of pharmaceutical between various tain batch is not flying. You can go back
products, ultimately providing higher to the shipper so that they can put a slot
quality service to our customers." stakeholders within the in the production cycle where that batch
Weiss says: "At DHL, we are elevating our can be reproduced."
pharma life science healthcare prod- pharma and life science Haigh of United adds that forecasting
uct solutions by incorporating artificial supply chain for more is something "we would like more to see
intelligence and the Internet of Things of. As a passenger carrier, we can't delay a
(IoT). This integration enables us to make open discussions on the flight but we can reroute, look for alterna-
data-driven decisions, enhance supply tives using the flight schedule."
chain visibility, mitigate risks, and ensure common expectations (Kate and Haigh were speaking at a
superior service quality and reliability. By and standards of webinar organised by Air Cargo Next on
harnessing the power of AI and IoT, we can Air cargo and pharma - Using Technology
provide proactive and intelligent solutions pharmaceutical to save lives.
to our customers in the pharmaceutical
industry, ensuring the safe and efficient handling practices M&A in pharma logistics
transportation of healthcare products. This such as the IATA CEIV UPS has a target of $20 billion topline
advanced approach reflects our dedica- from healthcare by 2026, and maybe, just
tion to innovation and customer satisfac- standards. maybe, acquisitions could play a major
tion in the healthcare sector. role here. UPS has acquired pharma
"By leveraging these technologies, we Siddhant Iyer logistics companies like BOMI and MNX
aim to support specialised logistics solu- Cathay Cargo in the recent past, clearly indicating
tions in the life science and healthcare modes. This forward-thinking approach al- that buyouts in the future cannot be
sector as well as adapt to new therapy lows us to stay at the forefront of industry ruled out. "Definitely!," says Goba-Blé of
10 | JULY 2024 www.stattimes.com